When the Birdamlik Movement faced the fact that it was impossible for their leader to come to Uzbekistan, a decision was taken to hold their Congress in the south of Kazakhstan, where the Movement is intending to be reorganised to a political party.
Bakhodir Khan Turkiston at the last Birdamlik Congress in the USA in 2014; photos: C-1
On the 15-16 of November, the People’s Democratic Movement of Uzbekistan Birdamlik, whose leader is Bakhodir Khan Turkiston (formerly – Bokhodir Choriyev) is going to hold its Congress in the sought of Kazakhstan – Shymkent town. Choice of Kazakhstan for holding such an important meeting was a forced decision for the People’s Movement. The point is that its leader Bakhodir Khan Turkiston, who has been living in the USA for 14 years and who has so far become a citizen of the USA, could not get an entry visa for Uzbekistan at the Uzbek Embassy in Washington. At an interview to C-1 Bakhodir Khan Turkiston said that in Shymkent he is expecting arrival of about 60 delegates from Uzbekistan. The Congress is planned to be held in the conference hall of one of the Shymkent hotels, where everything is already ready to receive its attendants. According to Turkiston, the main purpose of the meeting would be reorganisation of the Birdamlik Movement to a political party, which will allow its leader to run for presidency of Uzbekistan in future.
Bakhodir told C-1 that the utmost priority task for the Birdamlik Party will be economic efflorescence of Uzbekistan, creation of the basics and conditions for free market economy, fight with poverty and overall welfare of the population.
Despite some reforms, initiated by the new President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan wouldn’t refuse the prohibition for existing any political opposition in the country. All parties, registered in RUzb, are actually surrogates of the government, whose only objective is imitation of a multi-party system.
Bakhodir Khan Turkiston thinks that Mirziyoyev fears political competition, while the objectives of his ongoing reforms are only some cosmetic cleaning of the poor image of the country, created during reign of his predecessor Islam Karimov.
Mirziyoyev badly needs foreign investments, which will not come to a closed country, where there is no freedom and human rights are humiliated,” – assures Turkiston.
“But investor rights can be guaranteed only if there is free political competition and possibility of election of the country leader, which Tashkent will have to come to sooner or later,” – Bakhodir expresses his firmness. Turkiston believes that in two years, Shavkat Mirziyoyev will have to let Birdamlik come to the country for he will have realized by then that political pluralism and competition is not a caprice or a favour, it is the necessity, if the country wants to put an end to Karimov’s past and become a modern and developed power.
“We are holding a Congress now with the target for 2021, when the country will have Presidential elections,” – says Bakhodir Khan. – We will not give up and look forward to the future with confidence.”
Узбекистанское движение «Бирдамлик» готовится к курултаю… в Казахстане